Research on corporate crime victimization has continuously found that factors such as race and socio-economic status greatly affect the likelihood of victimization. Stretesky and Lynch (1999) found in their study of the spatial distribution of corporate criminal violence that blacks and Hispanics were more likely to live closer to facilities that reported chemical accidents than did whites (Stretesky & Lynch, 1999). The relationship holds true even when controlling for facility location and urbanization, factors that could have possibly explained these results. Furthermore, Lynch, Stretesky, and Burns (2004) found that corporations who violated the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and/or the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act were fined differently depending on the racial and socio-economic status composition of the neighborhoods the violations occurred in. Specifically, the study found that the average penalty for non-compliance for Black census tracts ($108,563) was significantly lower than the penalties for violations in White census tracts ($341,590) (Lynch, Stretesky, & Burns, 2004). Furthermore, the study also found that the average penalty for non-compliance was also significantly lower among low-income census tracts ($259,784) than high-income tracts ($334,267). Overall, these findings suggest that blacks and Hispanics and individuals of low-income are at a heightened risk of being victims of corporate crime simply because of their race and socio-economic status.
Often excluded from the estimations of victimization by corporate crimes are victims of environmental crime. The Crime Victims’ Rights Act (CVRA) was signed in 2004 by the United States as a federal law aimed to empower, protect, and guide victims of crime. The CVRA defines a crime victim as “a ‘person directly and proximately harmed as a result of a federal offense’” (Jarrell & Ozymy, 2012). Jarrell and Ozymy (2012) argue that victims of environmental crime should be protected by the CVRA. Corporate crimes such as the BP Texas City refinery explosion, W.R. Grace & Co. asbestos contamination of Libby, Montana, and CITGO Petroleum Corporation’s violation of the Clean Air Act have left thousands of people dead or injured as a result of their negligence (Jarrell & Ozymy, 2012). Those who oppose the protection of environmental crime victims under CVRA, argue that doing so would complicate the process due to the problem of establishing victimization and identifying victims (Jarrell & Ozymy, 2012). However, as the authors argue, environmental crimes are real crimes with real victims who suffer major health and financial consequences as a result of exposure to contaminated water, hazardous waste sites, and/or air pollution generated by corporations, all of which merits their protection under the CVRA (Jarrell & Ozymy, 2014). Furthermore, animals and the environment are also victims of corporate crime as has been demonstrated by the literature on green criminology.
References:
Jarrell, M.L., and Ozymy, J. (2012). Real crime, real victims: environmental crime victims and the
Crime Victims’ Rights Act (CVRA). Crime, Law and Social Change, 58, 373-389.
Jarrell, M.L., and Ozymy, J. (2014). Few and far between: understanding the role of the victim in
federal environmental crime prosecutions in the United States. Crime, Law and Social
Lynch, M.J., Stretesky, P.B., and Burns, R.G. (2004). Slippery Business: Race, Class, and Legal
Determinants of Penalties Against Petroleum Refineries. Journal of Black Studies, 34(3).
421-440.
Stretesky, P., & Lynch, M.J. (1999). Corporate Environmental Violence and Racism. Crime,
Law & Social Change, 30, 163-184.
Authors: Daniela Oramas Mora, Michael Lynch, Leo Genco, Julianna Kirschner, and Troy Cardwell
USF S.P.R.U.C.E. Lab. (2019, November 9th) Corporate Crime, Online, Source Book, 2000-2017. Retrieved from https://sprucecorporatecrime.weebly.com
All rights reserved © 2019, 2020 USF S.P.R.U.C.E. Lab.
Jarrell, M.L., and Ozymy, J. (2012). Real crime, real victims: environmental crime victims and the
Crime Victims’ Rights Act (CVRA). Crime, Law and Social Change, 58, 373-389.
Jarrell, M.L., and Ozymy, J. (2014). Few and far between: understanding the role of the victim in
federal environmental crime prosecutions in the United States. Crime, Law and Social
Lynch, M.J., Stretesky, P.B., and Burns, R.G. (2004). Slippery Business: Race, Class, and Legal
Determinants of Penalties Against Petroleum Refineries. Journal of Black Studies, 34(3).
421-440.
Stretesky, P., & Lynch, M.J. (1999). Corporate Environmental Violence and Racism. Crime,
Law & Social Change, 30, 163-184.
Authors: Daniela Oramas Mora, Michael Lynch, Leo Genco, Julianna Kirschner, and Troy Cardwell
USF S.P.R.U.C.E. Lab. (2019, November 9th) Corporate Crime, Online, Source Book, 2000-2017. Retrieved from https://sprucecorporatecrime.weebly.com
All rights reserved © 2019, 2020 USF S.P.R.U.C.E. Lab.